Column: Set your DVR for Pro Bowl. Now. Seriously

FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2012, file photo, Washington Redskins' Robert Griffin III throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. Griffin was selected to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Perez, File)
— AP

FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2012, file photo, Washington Redskins' Robert Griffin III throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. Griffin was selected to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Perez, File)
/ AP

Nearly five million people tuned into the league's scouting combine at some point this spring to watch players who hadn't even made the cut lift weights and run around in shorts and T-shirts. And last year's Pro Bowl game, bad as it was, still pulled in better numbers than any of its rivals - an average of 12.5 million viewers, even if most of them were asleep by the end.

So Goodell knew exactly what he was doing when he suggested the NFL might skip the game and instead honor the players selected to the Pro Bowls rosters during a ceremony. All-Star games are popularity contests after all, and the NFL's participants are chosen according to a vote among the league's players, coaches and fans, with each group given equal weight in the process.

But if you've followed the arguments about who was left out, you'll find very little griping between the first two groups - with the possible exception of players who promised the family a week in Hawaii. Instead, it's coming from the same fans who will doze off during the game, but can't for the moment imagine how the Cowboys' Dez Bryant didn't get picked, or how overrated but still popular Green Bay center Jeff Saturday got the nod over linemate Josh Sitton, or why all those Chiefs are hanging around.

So consider this your wake-up call, fans, even if it came a month early.

---

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and follow him at Twitter.com/JimLitke